


His Hands to Warm My Heart

by rainbowflavouredfabulous



Category: Victoria (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coming Out, I would like to blame Leo and Jordan for those cute photos on IG that inspire these fics, M/M, Mention Of Homophobia, This is pure fluff we deserve it, Train journeys, fear not the gays are safe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-21 08:17:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12453321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowflavouredfabulous/pseuds/rainbowflavouredfabulous
Summary: Alfred still hadn’t met his eye and Edward draped his arm across Alfred’s shoulders, the blond easily leaning in to rest his head on his boyfriend’s chest, for once grateful for the height difference between them when Edward kissed his head. “I know my parents love me,’ he murmured, “it might just be a shock to them, y’know? ‘Cause, like, I had girlfriends when I was younger and now I’m showing up after not seeing them for a year being all like, ‘hi Mum, hi Dad, I have a boyfriend now, how’s the gardening going?’”“Then we’ll deal with it together.” Edward raised their intertwined hand and kissed Alfred’s on the knuckles.“You’re too good to me.”“Nope, just got more experience by being the queer kid at Harrow.”





	His Hands to Warm My Heart

**Author's Note:**

> We all know that if the events of ‘Victoria’ happened now, Alfred and Drummond would be that cutesy gay couple that live together, maybe have a dog, volunteer at the gay bookstore, you feel me??
> 
> Anyway, here’s some self-indulgent fluff that wouldn’t leave me - this ship is literally the sole reason for screwing over my previously healthy sleeping pattern 
> 
> Title from [Implosions by Agent Fresco](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgb0wqW28oU)

_updownupdownupdownupdown_

Alfred would not stop bouncing his leg. Normally he was so unflappable but they had left Charring Cross nearly an hour ago and Edward had taken it as merely anxious about getting a seat on the train for such a long journey. Even when they found two relatively clean seats with a table, Alfred’s leg wouldn’t be still, constantly in motion, even when a older man and a younger woman sat opposite them, indulging in their own conversation.

_updownupdownupdownupdownupdownupdownupdownupdown_

Personally, Edward didn’t mind the constant rhythm but behind him, he could hear a pair of pensioners grumbling about people these days and so he a placed a hand on Alfred’s right knee, his boyfriend jerked out of his thoughts whilst turning around from staring into space.

“You really that nervous?” Edward asked gently.

Alfred swallowed, his eyes wandering around before settling on his hands clasped in his lap. “No.”

It was such an obvious lie that Alfred didn’t even have to look at Edward’s raised eyebrows to know what his boyfriend was thinking. “Okay, maybe a tad,” he finally admitted, “why aren’t you?”

Edward looked ahead before sighing heavily, reaching for Alfred’s hand before he got worked up and started bouncing his leg again. “‘Cause everything you’ve told me about your parents makes me think they’ll be fine.”

“Yeah but what if they’re not? What if they don’t accept me?”

“Then we get the train into Cardiff and go on a gay bar crawl. Get drunk, have horrific hangovers the next day and go back home.”

_updownupdownupdownupdownupdownupdownupdownupdownupdownupdownupdownupdown_

“What was it like for you?” Alfred asked in a small voice. Edward didn’t respond for a few moment and Alfred fretted until Edward squeezed his hand.

“I’ll admit I was scared. I never thought Dad would be okay with it, a City banker with a gay son. But I wrote them a letter, stayed round a friend’s house for the night. Came back home the next morning and Mum and Dad were waiting for me with open arms. I haven’t looked back since. And really if it all goes to shit, my parents love you.”

Alfred still hadn’t met his eye and Edward draped his arm across Alfred’s shoulders, the blond easily leaning in to rest his head on his boyfriend’s chest, for once grateful for the height difference between them when Edward kissed his head. “I know my parents love me,’ he murmured, “it might just be a shock to them, y’know? ‘Cause, like, I had girlfriends when I was younger and now I’m showing up after not seein’ them for a year being all like, ‘hi Mum, hi Dad, I have a boyfriend now, how’s the gardening going?’”

“Then we’ll deal with it together.” Edward raised their intertwined hand and kissed Alfred’s on the knuckles.

“You’re too good to me.”

“Nope, just got more experience by being the queer kid at Harrow.”

Alfred snuggled even closer and even through his hoodie, Edward could feel the warmth radiating off of him. “Bloody hell, how are you always so warm? It’s freezing on here.” Alfred made a non-committal noise and had the audacity to pull at the tight collar of his t-shirt, exposing part of his collar bone whilst Edward tugged his hood over his head, trying to stay warm on a poorly-heated train.

“Tease,” Edward joked and Alfred sat up, looking mock-offended.

“Excuse you, I have a boyfriend, I’ll have you know.” It was the first time Edward saw Alfred smile that morning and he ruffled Alfred’s hair affectionately, his own curls barely tamed. They both settled into their seats again, leaning into each other and staring out of the window until Edward’s gaze drifted over to the couple opposite them, merely raising an eyebrow just to see how they’d react to their displays of affection.

The woman smiled and asked, “how long have you two been together?”

“Six months, three weeks and two days,” Alfred piped up from where he was comfortably curled up against Edward.

Edward looked skywards in faux-despair and smiled back when the woman smiled at him. “You?” He asked, deducing that there was no way she and the man next to her weren’t together.

“Two years-ish. Eventually you forget the exact seconds.” The man explained. “What brings you to Wales?”

Alfred looked up to look at Edward, weighing up their options and he answered for the both of them. “Meeting my parents. It’s about time.” He reached over to shake their hands. “I’m Alfred, Edward’s my better half.”

“Victoria, this is William.” She responded, pointing to herself and then William

They settled back into their seats as Drummond asked, “how come you’re going to Wales?”

William signed heavily but looked at Victoria adoringly. “She proposed to me and it’s a family tradition that engaged couples have Welsh gold rings. The things you do for love, hm?”

Both couples returned to their own conversations and Alfred slowly fell back into Edward’s chest, his leg still twitching every so often, until he breathed heavily and Edward realised that all that nervous energy had fizzled out and his boyfriend had fallen asleep. How he could sleep on a loud, freezing train was beyond Edward but he stayed very still, his arms slowly becoming dead until Alfred’s phone lit up and merrily chirped with a text notification, Alfred awakening enough to move his arms around Edward’s shoulders and leaning in to rest his head on them.

“What is it?” He asked sleepily, not even opening his eyes.

Edward stretched out his own arms, resting his elbows on the table in front of them and picking up Alfred’s phone, his fingerprint already accepted by the lock screen.

“It’s your mum. She says your dad and her are looking forward to your lovely new girlfriend.”

“You are my lovely new girlfriend,” Alfred responded, not quite in the land of the living yet and Edward laughed loudly, grinning widely until there was a bright flash in the corner of his eye, Victoria holding a Polaroid camera in her hands.

“I’m a photographer,” she explained apologetically, “my current project’s couples in love.” By this point, the photo had printed and she looked down at it proudly, William nudging her shoulder and smiling. “Here, keep it,” Victoria said, handing the print over.

Alfred had finally woken up and rubbed his eyes before leaning in to ask, “you sure?” Victoria nodded and he took the print, smiling at how beautiful his boyfriend was. “Perhaps your mum would like it,” she suggested whilst standing up, William following her. “This is our stop but I hope it all goes well for you two.” After a brief goodbye, Alfred and Edward had the table to themselves, the photo resting against a bottle of water.

“I’m sure Mum would like something like this,” Alfred said in that tone of voice that Edward learnt to mean he was thinking of something. He took his phone out of Edward’s hand and took a photo of the print before opening ‘Messages’.

 ** _To Mum <3  
_** **_Here’s my lovely new girlfriend._**

 **  
**[](http://tinypic.com?ref=jpel9f)

 

 

He set the the phone back down on the table face first, snuggling back into Edward’s chest. “Whatever happens, it’ll be fine,” he said contentedly for the first time that day and Edward knew that Alfred finally believed it, his leg finally still.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading - if you read my other Drumfred fic (which you totally should), you’ll know that I’ve got another Drumfred fic planned which finally now has a proper title and fortunately for you guys, it’ll be fairly long like I can’t see it being much shorter than 10k (unfortunately for me, I’ve got to write it and keep on top of all my uni work since the bloody idea won’t leave me) 
> 
> I’ve also got some ideas for a potential sequel/second chapter to “LITstory 2k17” introduces the relevant love interests into their group chat - Drummond, Robert, Cleary and Melbourne properly (maybe Emma’s fiancé, I haven’t decided yet, tell me if you want him in it!)
> 
> I’m on [Tumblr!](lostlibraryofalex.tumblr.com)


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